The amount of data collected and analyzed each day is constantly growing and will continue to grow as we move into the future.

Because data about customers, business partnerships, patients, transactions, and much more holds immense value, the need to protect that data is becoming stronger.

Learn about the risks of not backing up your businesses data by watching the video or reading the transcript below.

Video Transcript

Why It’s Important to Back Up Data

Data loss creates a range of issues including time wasted, resource costs to replace or restore the lost data, and even legal consequences.

By using a data backup systems though, you’re able to help prevent data loss and greatly minimize the damage if data is ever compromised.

How Much Data Is There to Protect?

For an example of just how much data individuals, businesses, and the rest of the world is actually using (and should be backing up) there are a few stats to consider, such as how 90% of the data on the internet today has been created since 2016.

In the last minute that you’ve been reading this article:

1.74 quadrillion bytes of data was created

1.44 million gigabytes of data was uploaded to the internet

144 millionemails were sent

2.4 millionsearches were processed by Google

360,000 tweets were sent of Twitter

$259,000 in sales was processed on Amazon

840 new social media accounts were created

The Potential Impact of Data Loss

Considering the amount of data that’s constantly being created, distributed, and downloaded, the impact of losing it is just as significant. According to past studies:

94% of companies do not fully recover from severe data loss

70% of small businesses close within 1 year

54% of companies close within 2 years

43% of companies never reopen

The Top 6 Causes of Data Loss

Data loss can be caused by a range of problems such as physical damage, system crashes, and other issues including:

Mechanical damage & malfunctions

Power failures

Viruses and malware

Accidental deletion and human error

Fire, waste, and other environmental hazards

Device theft

Mechanical Damage and Malfunctions

According to recent studies, 67% of data loss is caused by hard drive damage from either human mishandling or mechanical issues

Signs of a failing hard drive include:

Unusual heat

Frequent crashing/freezing

Slow processing speeds

Clicking or grinding noises

Issues while booting up

Power Failures

Improper device shutdown procedures caused by a power outage can corrupt existing files or software itself.

If a computer suddenly loses power while writing to a hard drive, the device may never start correctly again.

Viruses and Malware

Viruses and malware can steal and delete large amounts of data, making it important to use strong antivirus and firewall systems.

In the event of disaster though, backing up data in case the first copy is stolen helps to provide a second layer of security.

Accidental Deletion and Human Error

Data backup provides a backstop for when there are inevitable mistakes with data.

Whether it’s spilling water, overwriting data, or downloading virus-infected software, having a backup copy helps protect from accidental risks that aren’t a matter of if but when.

Device Theft

You might be using safeguards like encryption to protect data if a device is stolen, but without a second copy backed up to restore on a new device the data will still be gone.

Water, Fire, and Environmental Hazards

A hard drive overheating can cause damage and data loss, let alone an actual fire or if there’s a flood that causes water damage.

In the event of environmental disaster, it’s important to have a backup copy stored off site and away from danger.

The Potential Impact of Not Backing Up

There are several aspects to consider in terms of the impact of data loss, including the types of data at risk, how it can affect company operations, and how legal consequences can potentially ripple out.

Types of Data at Risk

It’s important to understand just how large the scope of backup’s protection is.

Without data backup, you risk:

Legal documents

Contracts and partner information

Accounting records

General business data

Employee records

Customer data

Historical records

How It Can Impact Company Operations

Besides just losing all your information, there are also indirect consequences from data loss such as:

Lower productivity/efficiency

Lower revenue

Lost partnerships

Reputation damage

No data for customer services/support

Legal Consequences

On top of the direct and indirect damage of data loss there are also potential legal troubles to factor in:

How to Properly Back Up Data

With DMS systems data is typically backed up and stored on an offsite server. Backing up or accessing data doesn’t require an internet connection, making a DMS system ideal for situations where backups are needed regularly and in bulk.

Cloud storage is internet-based, and instead of single server providers use a network of connected servers to back up data. With multiple servers, if there’s a problem with one server its data will still be stored on other connected servers to provider a safe backup.

Magnetic backup tape offers the advantage of both high-volume and low cost, but because it’s designed almost exclusively for backups it’s not ideal for data that’s regularly accessed. Instead, using backup tapes and vault storage works best for things like data retention requirements.

Do You Have a Data Backup Plan In Place?

Ready to ensure the safety of your data? Join Amazon, Google, and hundreds of other companies we have helped to find a records management system to meet their data backup service needs.

Call us at (866) 385-3706 or fill out our form to get free quotes on backup services from several of our trusted service partners.